


Roses Don't Grow In the Mountains

by theRadioStarr



Series: Of Roses and Mountain Flowers [9]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Femslash, OC shipping - Freeform, Original Character-centric, oc x oc - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-15
Updated: 2015-10-15
Packaged: 2018-04-26 12:58:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5005699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theRadioStarr/pseuds/theRadioStarr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Evie is still having a hard time with her memories of Lupa. She knows that she’s gone, but she just can’t accept it - especially when the memories are all still so fresh and strong. </p>
<p>She’s been avoiding the road up to the Temple of Sacred Ashes like the plague. It was where they declared their love for each other, after all, and she doesn’t think she could handle being there again. </p>
<p>But she’s the Herald, and the Breach won’t seal itself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Roses Don't Grow In the Mountains

**Author's Note:**

  * For [xStephyG](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xStephyG/gifts).



Evie checked herself over for the third time before leaving her hut.

Waterskin? Check.

Full stomach? Check.

Staff, armour, crackly magic hand? Check, check, and check.

One last deep, steadying breath before meeting the others? _In through the nose, out through the mouth._ Check.

Evie squared her shoulders and pulled the door of her hut open. From here, she could see her friends waiting for her: Cassandra, Solas, Vivenne, and Dorian. She had asked Sera to come along for moral support, and she stood to the side, poking at Vivienne.

“Herald,” Cassandra called to her, and the others fell silent. “Are you ready to go?”

Evie nodded. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Sera immediately hopped over, linking her arm with Evie’s. “It’ll be easy, yeah? Too much magic, though. Don’t worry. I’ve brought plenty of arrows.”

Evie didn’t say anything in response.

“Smile!” Sera demanded of her. “Want me to moon Cullen for you? I bet that would get a laugh. Or better yet, _you_ do it!”

“Sera!” Evie finally said, scandalized, only to find Sera’s obnoxious laughter contagious.

Evie hadn’t taken the road up to the Temple since she had attempted to close the Breach the first time. It had been too painful, the memories of Lupa there too strong. Last time, the road had been too dangerous for her to focus on those memories, but now, it was painfully quiet.

_Lupa had grabbed her pack for her, shrugging one arm out of her own and sliding Evie’s onto that shoulder. They had to weigh more than her combined. Evie laughed and stole her pack back. She was just joking about it being too heavy, but Lupa had immediately offered to carry it for her, without question. She pressed a kiss to Lupa’s lips before insisting she was fine and moving along to follow the Templars._

_Lupa setting up their tent for them, a little removed from the other mages and the two Templars who were staying with them. She knew Lupa was feeling better about all the people, but she was still trying to seclude herself. Evie didn’t push her to set up closer to the others._

_“On a cold winter night, would you offer your throat to the wolf with the gold roses?”_

She couldn’t believe her eyes.

Evie stopped dead in her tracks, confusing Sera, who hadn’t expected her to stop so abruptly. She pulled her arm free and started drifting across the river.

There – that was where they had camped. There had been fresh snowfall, and so the evidence had long been erased.

All save for one piece.

She knelt in front of the frozen rose bush, awed at the sight of a single Amber Flush, growing boldly despite the snow weighing down its petals, and the cold, frozen earth that had killed the rest of it.

She gently held the flower between two of her fingers, using her free hand to carefully brush the snow away. Crunching footfalls approaching her pulled her from her daydreams.

“What’s that, then?” Sera asked. Evie turned to look at her, finding her confused. “Roses don’t grow in the mountains. You going to take it, or what?”

_“On a cold winter night, would you offer your throat to the wolf with the gold roses?”_

_“Yes.”_

_But how could it live?_

Evie shook her head, surprised to find hot tears silently tracking down her face. “No,” she whispered. “If I take it, it’ll die.”

“Really, it should be dead _here_ , right? What would it hurt?”

_What does this mean? Is she okay? But how could she be?_

_No, Evie. Don’t get your hopes up._

She shook her head. “I can’t take the chance on this one, Sera.”

Sera shrugged. “Whatever, crazy. Come on, the others are waiting for us, yeah?”

Evie sniffled, drying her face before getting back to her feet. Sera clapped her on the shoulder when she did, leading her back to the group, but there was understanding in her eyes.

_Don’t get your hopes up,_ Evie told herself again as she looked up at the Breach swirling in the sky.

But how could she not? If Lupa’s magic had survived, then maybe in some way, some _how_ …

Maybe she had survived, too.

Evie hooked her arm with Sera’s again, and hummed a quiet tune to herself as she continued their climb. 


End file.
